Tax-Free Spinoffs Could Be Much Tougher Under Proposed New Rules
Many U.S. companies take advantage of lower foreign taxes by creating tax-free spinoffs of their parent companies. It’s a great and legal way to lower their corporate tax bills. However, some lawmakers have long pressed for changes to these rules and it appears that changes could be coming.
The U.S. Treasury Department recently proposed some new rules that would make it more difficult for companies to create certain kinds for spinoffs. In order to avoid capital gains taxes on the transaction 5 percent of the amount of a spin-off must be an active trade or business.
The new proposed rules also aim to clear up the factors that determine when a spinoff cannot be used for distributing profits and earnings to shareholders. If the new rules pass, the transaction would be deemed a device if there was a large enough gap between the amount of the company that is made up of nonbusiness assets while the other company had a lot less.
At this point the new rules have only been proposed and they will not take effect unless the Treasury Department makes them official. Even at that time they still wouldn’t affect any transactions that were already planned before approval even if the transaction was finalized after.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-treasury-rules-would-make-it-harder-to-complete-tax-free-spinoffs-1468500481
Do You Owe Money To The IRS?
The vast majority of Americans get a tax refund from the IRS each spring, but what do you do if you are one of those who have received a tax bill? What do you do if you owe money to the IRS and can’t pay? The IRS encourages you to pay the full amount of…
How Some Big Companies Are Maximizing Their Tax Benefit
How Some Big Companies Are Maximizing Their Tax Benefit There’s no question that the IRS is always looking for ways to get every penny they can from the nation’s taxpayers, whether they be individuals or businesses. On the other hand, many are also doing whatever they can to pay as little as possible, some, even…
Federal Government Still Facing Huge Deficit
Federal Government Still Facing Huge Deficit Does it seem like no matter how much money the federal government collects in tax revenue, they will still never have enough? For a lot of people the, answer is a resounding “yes.” The country’s Monthly Treasury Statement lends even more credence to that belief. What does the Treasury…
The IRS is Not a Bully – You can poke a bully in the nose.
The IRS is Not a Bully You can poke a bully in the nose. This is the third installment of “The IRS is Not a Bully” series, identifying taxpayer concerns and the difficult position in which Congress puts the IRS. Namely, applying ever increasing pressure to operate in ways its founders never intended, until it’s…